Pretty Insects, Mostly

I always carry a camera in the truck and sometimes get lucky and happen upon interesting insects. I hope these images show a little of their beauty. Educational use of these images is permitted with the appropriate credit. Commercial use without permission is prohibited.

Paralyzed female Syrbula montezuma being dragged along by a Prionyx sp. Sphecid wasp. This rather small wasp first stung the grasshopper then carried it back to the nest, which is below ground. I watched as the wasp grabbed the grasshopper with its mandibles (evident in the photo) and dragged it in to the ground. An egg will be deposited in the body of the paralyzed grasshopper and the resulting wasp larva will consume the still-alive grasshopper as it grows. Insect identifications were done by Paul Alvarado Lenhart, Texas A&M University.